Fastener secured installation



Sept. 16, `1941. c. L. HALL FASTENER SECURED INSTALLATIVON Filed June 8,1939 122/0123120?! l CIa'Zc'SL-Hal. l

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*v3-3 of Fig. 1 With locked position; v

Patented sepe1e, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .FAsrENEn sEcUnDmsrALLATroN Charles L. Hall, Detroit, Mich., assignor to United- CarrFastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass.,

- a corporation of Massachusetts e Application June 8, 1939, Serial No.278,072

1 Claim.

l of fastener installation;

Fig. 2 is a rea-r view of the installation shown in Fig, 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing themanner in which the bearing member 'is moved into locking engagementwith the other parts of the installation;

Fig. 4 is a sectionalview takenalong the linel the bearing member infinal Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the fastener member shown in Fig.5.

My preferred form of installation, as shown in Figs. 1-4 of the drawing,comprises a support I which may be Vof metal or other material having acircular opening 2 therein. A piece of flexible material 3 covers theinner surface of the supf port I and has an opening 4 in alignment withthe opening 2-of the support I. The support I may be a portion of theroof of an automobile immediately adjacent the windshield (not shown)and the flexible material 2 may be the interior covering of the roof ofthe automobile. A fastener member 5 is disposed in snap fastenerengagement with the support I through the opening 2 thereof and anarticle of manufacture such as the bearing member 5 is assembled inlocked engagement with the fastener member 5 within the opening 2 of thesupport. The bearing member 6 provides a tubular bearing portion open atboth ends for receiving a shaft (not shown) which may have a knob in theinterior of the automobile and which extends from the knob through thebearing member 8 for engagement with any desired mechanism (not shown)such as that for actuating a windshield wiper (not shown).

Referring in detail to the fastener member E, I have shown one havingsupport-engaging means such as a base 1 which is preferably disposed,when the installation is in final assembly, outside the surface of thecovering 3. The base 'I has a circular opening 8 therein in alignmentwith the axis pf the fastener for a purpose to be described. Afolded-under portion 9 is provided integral with the marginal edges fthe base 'I y y port I adjacent the aperture`2. At the same time land anannular series of yieldable fingers Il exof the yieldable fingers.

tend from theA free edges, of the folded-under portion II away from thebase 1. Each of the fingers III has a bowed construction so as to'provide shoulder-like portions II for engagement with the material ofthe support adjacent the aperture 2. `The free ends I0 of the yieldablefingers I0 extend inwardly and form an imaginary circle at theirinnermost points which is of less diameter than the diameter of theopening 8 of the base for a purpose to be described.

The bearing member 6, which is preferably formed from one piece ofmetal, provides a flange portion I2 which is preferably of" greaterdiameter than the diameter of the base 'l of the fastener member so asto overlie the base 1 when the parts of the installation are'in finalassembly to effect a neat appearance on the inside of the automobile. A`bearing portion or shank I3 is pressed from the base i2 and provides abore I4 which is open at both ends for receiving thehereinabovementioned actuating shaft. The shank I3 has anoutwardly-flared portion I5 at its end away from the base I2 for.cooperating with the free ends IIJa of the fingers Ill tc lool: theparts of the installation together in a manner to be described. 1

In assembling the parts of the installation tobearing member, which hasa diameter Igreater A than the diameter of the imaginary circle definedby the ends Ill8L of the fingers I0, is moved through the opening 8 ofthe base 'I of the fastener member into engagement with the ends I0a Aspressure is exerted on the bearing member the yieldable fingers I0 aremoved outwardly so as to lock the shoulders II in engagement with thematerial of the supthe free ends III* of the fingers I0 engage behindthe flared portion I5 of the shank I3 so as to prevent ready removalofthe bearing member relative to the fastener member. It willbe noticedthat when the bearing member is in final .nxed position the base I2thereof is disposed in overlying` adjacent relation to the base 1 ofthefastener member.

i "Thus it will be seen thatA by my invention I acogen ,p v

\ 'formed of resilient sheet material and adapted have provided a simpleand inexpensive means `.providing an efficientway for securing flexiblef coveringmaterial in tight relationship toa sur,-

- f ace of the body of the automobile. Furthermore,

my preferredinstallation effects an eiilcient, neat and easily assembled`means for receivingan ac- .'tuating shaft (not shown)v which extendsfromy the exterior of the automobile into the interior` i t 10 Thelfastener installation hereinabove described thereof.

hasv Va variety of uses and for that reason I do not wish to belimitedto the yspecific form of inf-stallation illustrated and described. Also,Ido not lwish to be limited bythe particular construction of mypreferred form of fastener meniber'because it is apparent to thoseskilled inthe art that the fastener member would be capable i ofefficiently carrying out the desired objects by relying on ,yieldablefingers for attaching'the fastener to the support which do not `haveinitial Ato grip the walls of the support surrounding the aperturesolely by engagement of the shank of of the fingers. f Although I haveillustrated the lbearingmember with the free end portions and describena for insertion' in and snap-fastener engagement with an aperturedsupport, s'aid fastener mem--y ber being formed with al base andyieldable fin. gers extending from said base with portions adapted forsnap-fastener engagement with lthe apertured support, said base beingformed withy an, axial opening substantially smaller than the 'distancebetween support-engaging portions" of yopposed fingers, at least two .ofsaid fingers being inwardly. bowed with theirfree ends sepa;

rated a distance substantially less thanthe op'ening in said base, asecond sheet metalpart adapted for assembly with saidy fastener partafter snap fastener action, but which are expandedV preferred embodimentof my invention, I do1not,

the latter has Ybeen assembled with the apertured support, said secondpart having a tubular shank and an 'outwardly aring end adapted forcamming engagement with said inwardly disposed finger ends providing arearwardly facing shoul- ,der against which said nger ends may be lockedwith thefinger endsl disposed against said rearwardly facing shoulder,said second part being-` formed with a ange at itsother end`contactingand overlying said fastener base, saidfiange and outwardly'flared end ofsaid.y second part engaging and contacting opposite ends of saidfastener member ,and acting to prevent withdrawal of said second partfrom* its assembled 'I `position with said fastener member and also re'sist flattening and flexing of the .bowed ngers and accidentaldislodgment of the fastener part from the apertured support. f l vCHARLES L. HALL.

